Chinese 1st Lady Tours Historic Seoul

Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan, who accompanied her husband President Xi Jinping on a state visit to Korea on Thursday, began her itinerary here by attending a formal welcoming ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae.

While her husband sat down with President Park Geun-hye, Peng was escorted to Changdeok Palace in downtown Seoul, where she watched a performance by a traditional Korean music troupe. Because Park is single, Peng was chaperoned not by her Korean counterpart but by Cho Yoon-sun, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs.

Peng commented that she felt as if she had been transported onto the set of the popular Korean period drama "Jewel in the Palace." She told Cho that her daughter enjoys Korean soaps, adding that they play a positive role in promoting understanding among young people in both countries.

Left: Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan arrives at an airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday.; Right: Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan (left), along with Cho Yoon-sun, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, arrives at Changdeok Palace in Seoul on Thursday.

The Chinese first lady changed her wardrobe no fewer than three times on her first day. When she arrived at an airport in Seongnam south of the capital, she wore a jade-colored blouse, a cream raglan-style jacket and a black skirt. At Changdeok Palace, she had changed into a white overcoat with a deep green flower-shaped brooch.

Fashion consultant Ahn Soo-kyung said, "She chose a jade-colored blouse, which the Chinese consider auspicious, and a white overcoat to show her respect for the Korean people, who were referred to in the past as the "white-clad race."